Personal Blog

37 posts

An Ode to Bananas

It's 1:06 a.m. Two bananas down. And I can't stop thinking, how little we've writtenabout one of the greatest fruitsto ever exist. Not exotic. Not expensive. Just… always there. My first dateended with Minions. Everyone remembersthe yellow creatures. I remember laughingnext to so […]

Jun 2026 · Read more

Cloudflare Wants to Replace WordPress. I Read the Fine Print

This is a commerce person reporting with love on the topic of website security and the future of the internet - so bear with me as to why this matters for you. You probably don't think about your website until something breaks. Neither did I. But when a major tech company called […]

Apr 2026 · Read more

Between Breath & You

Back in ‘07, when prayers were small,You said….God, keep her close, don’t let her fall.Didn’t know then what love could do,How every turn would circle back to you. That boy in the yellow Hanuman teeYou laughed without knowing what you’d do to me.If only I knew, back in those days […]

Mar 2026 · Read more

CalculateMyDahej.xyz: The Most Honest App in India Right Now

It started as a Reddit scroll. Ended as a philosophical crisis. I stumbled upon CalculateMyDahej.xyz, expecting a meme - left with a mirror. A hilarious, horrifying, disturbingly accurate mirror. Thanks D for always being my Raw mirror. Welcome to India’s most honest calculator. […]

Jun 2025 · Read more

Why Awarapan Still Has My Heart - And What Part 2 Could Look Like

There are movies, and then there are moments. Awarapan was one such moment for me - I was in 6th grade when it released. A time when I didn’t really get love stories, but something about Emraan Hashmi’s haunting portrayal and the soul-stirring tracks “Toh Phir Aao” and “Tera Mera […]

May 2025 · Read more

The IITian Who Redefined My Journey

Inspiration comes in many forms - sometimes from family, sometimes from mentors we meet unexpectedly. If I had to name my ultimate inspiration, I know it would be my elder sister. But life has a way of introducing us to people who profoundly impact our journey, and for me, that per […]

Mar 2025 · Read more

From Newbie to IIT Insider: The Best 4 Days of My Life

Let me start with this: I never planned to publish papers at IIT. I wasn’t even aiming for it. But life - or the cosmos, as I call it - threw me into a whirlwind of algorithms, chai breaks, and midnight dhaba debates. By the end of 2024, I’d spent four days living on […]

Feb 2025 · Read more

Why Behavioral Science? My Epic Love Saga

Disclaimer: This blog post is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. “Why do you think you would be a good fit at ___________? You know that question everyone gets in job applications: Yeah, that one. Or in my case, “Why […]

Sep 2024 · Read more

Goodbye to Numbers and Hello to a Visual Nudge

Weighing In On A New Scale: Could this be ‘The End' to the Number Obsession? I remember one evening when I indulged in a lavish dinner at Urban Tadka, savoring the rich flavors of North Indian cuisine. The aroma of butter naan fresh from the tandoor, the creamy, spicy panee […]

Aug 2024 · Read more

How to Get a Heads Up on Your Interview? (CV edition)

If I tell you there are strategies to give you a heads up for your interview, I think I already have your attention. This blog post is based on a recent conversation I had with Professor Sameer Sahasrabudhe When you sit for your interview, my goal is to make you […]

Jul 2024 · Read more

Behaviour Science Elixir (and Why You Should Care!)

BeSci is THE Answer to “Why People Do What They Do“ Have you ever signed up for a course on Coursera or EdX, duolingo brimming with enthusiasm, only to find yourself losing steam halfway through? You're not alone! Completing online courses (MOOCs) can be a challenge. […]

Jun 2024 · Read more

User-Generated Content with IMPRZD: A Product Review

Imagine a platform that seamlessly converts user experiences into powerful social proof, attracting new customers and building your brand like never before. That's IMPRZD in a nutshell. I recently stumbled upon IMPRZD through SWAYAM, an online learning platform where I completed […]

Apr 2024 · Read more

Book Bait: How I Hooked Myself into Reading

So, there I was, a professor with a library practically next door, drowning in a sea of digital distraction. Digital Dilemma: The battle between a paperback and a digital screen is fierce. Distractions lurked everywhere - emails, notifications, and the constant temptation to […]

Jan 2024 · Read more

LinkedIn Premium: A Generous Giveaway or Just a Traffic Boost?

🎉 Exciting news! I have 10 referrals for a FREE 2-month trial of LinkedIn Premium! 🎉 What started as an innocent offer soon snowballed into an unintentional social experiment, revealing the depths of desperation and the intriguing perceptions surrounding job security tied to a […]

Jan 2024 · Read more

Unveiling User Insights without Direct Questions

- A study of online learners' insights towards digital courses and their engagement and UX. Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We're really interested in making your online learning experience even better, and your insights are invaluable. Icebreaker: Transition […]

Nov 2023 · Read more

Power Play: When BeSci Strength Takes a Wrong Turn

-Unpacking the concept of Behavioral Science. Understanding the mechanics, intentions, and potential outcomes to navigating the ethical landscape of BeSci. Ever find yourself questioning the ethics of Behavioral Science (BeSci) usage in our digital world? It's a common concern, a […]

Nov 2023 · Read more

Man of my Dreams… Until next Update.

Love That Won't Fade, Fight, or Falter Despite ethical concerns and content censorship, the world of AI companions signifies a transformative shift in the landscape of modern relationships. The primary purpose of AI companions, such as those on Replika (An App I'm studying presen […]

Nov 2023 · Read more

Fighting the Fatigue linear line

Days..umm have been just passing by. 8 hours minimum work. 6 hours peace sleep. 3 hours of personal self care where I indulge in cleaning, eating, resting and Blank thinking. Left over hours you ask? I am zoned out. Like blank. I should be reading, writing and getting started wit […]

Oct 2023 · Read more

How an Invitation to Austria made me to make my Passport

Taking reverse engineering a bit seriously. Hi, I'm Divya Thakur- a typical girl from a middle class family. For us the important needed document that has to be in place were Aadhaar and PAN card. My parents never thought that deep of making a Passport coz- We can't afford those […]

Sep 2023 · Read more

Zero Knowledge Proofs: Secure Your Online Presence

Imagine you have a secret, like a password, but you don't want to reveal the actual password to someone who needs to verify it. Zero Knowledge Proofs allow you to prove that you know the correct password without actually showing the password itself. It's like proving you have a s […]

Aug 2023 · Read more

Email Marketing vs. Social Media: A Bet for the Ages!

In this corner, we have Social Media, the flashy contender with millions of followers and likes! And in the opposing corner, we have Email Marketing, the seasoned veteran with a track record dating back to 1971! If you had to choose between these two heavyweights for marketing yo […]

Jul 2023 · Read more

QR codes for Self Marketing….

You want to be seen, heard, known, and of course, I obliged. In pixel's dance, secrets lie,A sultry tease, to catch your eye,Scan the codes, unlock the doors,Subtle wit, a world explores. Ohkayy….so what has that to do with QR codes? Well come closer, let me whisper down the WAY […]

Jul 2023 · Read more

Curiosity Meet Caution- My PhD journey

How did I come up with my PhD dissertation topic? Original story ahead- Stay Tuned! A little context if you care to listenI find myself in a Shit positionThe institute that I love sat me down- 11th hourAnd they told me that it's over, Done decision. (That's how i got […] […]

Mar 2023 · Read more

Hello World

….from a Research scholar’s lens….to be Dr Thakur Why would you wanna read about me? What’s so special? My story- Life is one of those stories you know what’s going to happen but STILL you want to watch how I’ll get there. I am a Character of my own. A […]

Jan 2023 · Read more